Swede 'top suspect' in global malware bust

Published: 20 May 2014 14:32 GMT+02:00

A 24-year-old Swede has been named as a key suspect by the US FBI in a case regarding the spread of software which can be used to hijack computers.

The Swede is among around 100 people who have been arrested in 19 different countries and the US authorities have sought his extradition, according to a report in the Dagens Nyheter (DN) daily on Tuesday.

The man is reported to have been under house arrest in Chisinau, Moldavia since November and is receiving assistance from Swedish embassy.

"The USA has applied for his extradition, but that is a matter for Moldavia and the USA," said Karin Nylund at the Swedish Foreign Ministry to DN.

The case involves the disbursement of the Blackshades software programme which enables the hijacking of computers which can then be remotely controlled and monitored. The programme is not in itself illegal but can be used for illegal activities.

The FBI estimates that Blackshades has been used to take over some 500,000 computers in the 19 countries in question.

The programme retails for $40-100 and according to the FBI, sales have generated some 2.3 million kronor ($350,000) to date for the Stockholm-based Swede who has been identified as the creator and owner of the programme.

The software made headlines in the US in September 2013 after it was used to take naked pictures of Miss Teen USA.

According to the DN report the FBI trail led back to the Swede following information divulged by a 23-year-old American colleague who was arrested in 2012.

Your comments about this article

An association that promotes reading among children has become the first African group to win the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world's largest prize for children's and young people's literature.
READ

Swedish companies worried about the nation's business links with the Arab world should instead be focussing on their own responsibility to promote and demonstrate ethical behaviour, argues business rights advisor Ruben Brunsveld.
READ

A Swedish prosecutor has ordered the arrest of Canadian ice hockey player André Deveaux after he was caught on video violently slashing an opponent in a pre-game warm-up for his club side in Ängelholm.
READ

The actors playing Lisbeth Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist in the original Swedish movies based on the books. Photo. TT

The sequel to Swedish author Stieg Larsson's best-selling Millenium crime trilogy, due for release in August, kicks off with an artificial intelligence intrigue involving a US spy agency, the book's publishers have revealed.
READ

Sweden’s publicly funded free school model has attracted huge interest in the UK and elsewhere, but with profits in the schools sector under scrutiny from regulators the biggest firms are now expanding overseas.
READ

Rap mogul Jay Z launched a rebranded music streaming service on Monday with major star backing, after buying the Scandinavian sites Tidal and Wimp and their parent company Aspiro earlier this month.
READ

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven has told reporters in New York that the United Nations appears highly interested in his country, as he lobbies to get the Nordic nation a seat on the UN Security Council.
READ

PSD Media
PSD Media is marketing company that offers innovative solutions for online retailers. We provide modern solutions that help increase traffic and raise conversion. Visit our site at: psdmedia.se